Hoshi’s House resident finds new home

8th March 2018

Last year we sponsored a summer house in the cat section of the Godmanchester branch of Wood Green, the Animals Charity. Hoshi’s House, as the summer house is known, is in its own enclosure and is designed for cats who need their own space while they wait for a new home. Its most recent resident, Chase, has now found a new home after spending three months in the house.

The summer house has a SureFlap Microchip Pet Door installed in the wall, which he started using straight away. Now he has the use of a SureFlap Microchip Cat Flap, so no other cats can bother him in his new home.

We spoke to Gail at Wood Green, the Animals Charity to find out more about Chase’s story.

Can you tell us about Chase’s background?

Chase originally lived in a multi-story block of flats with no access to the outside. His previous owners had rehomed him as a six week old kitten and they loved him dearly. However, they soon realised as he got older that he needed to be able to go outside. They could see he was getting frustrated, so they decided to rehome him. Initially he went to our Heydon centre but as soon as Hoshi’s House became available, the decision was made to move him there.

How did the summer house benefit Chase?

It gave Chase the opportunity to experience the outside world in a controlled environment. He was fearful of everything, the world in general; trees, the wind, grass, rain, pretty much everything. Due to the fact that he had never been exposed to any of these things previously, being in Hoshi’s House gave him the chance to adapt to the outside world at his own pace. He could stay indoors as much as he wanted and then gradually go outside at a pace that suited him.

We enriched his environment outside by using natural items like tree logs and cat-safe plants along with toys and garden furniture. Inside Hoshi’s House, we gave him areas to hide or get up high as well as lots of toys which we rotated regularly to keep him busy and to stop his frustration from building. We fed him his dry food by using enrichment feeders or scatter feeding and did this in the garden area as well. Chase showed his potential as a hunter by catching a bird in the first couple of weeks.

What type of home has Chase gone to?

Chase has gone to a rural home where he has lots of access to the outside in an environment that is interesting and exciting for a cat like Chase.  He is living with a dog, who he is still getting used to but he has settled in really quickly with his new family and has been outside enjoying his new territory. 

His new cat flap was installed prior to him arriving and he used it on the very first day which is just as well, as this was what we had advised his new owners to do.  Chase has shown none of the frustrations he had when he first arrived and he is now living the ideal cat life.